When I heard Count Python’s honest answer, I was finally able to set aside some of my suspicions about him.
That said, I’m still going to keep my guard up. People are people, and if you trust someone blindly, you’re just asking to get stabbed in the back.
The reason I came to that conclusion was because of how nakedly honest he was about his inner thoughts.
If he had called it loyalty, I would have been suspicious.
But in the end, Count Python’s claim was closer to selfishness.
It wasn’t for Loki’s sake. He wanted to make Loki emperor to prove himself.
Which meant that even after rising to the rank of count, he still hadn’t been able to shake off his doubts about himself.
Well, damn…
“This leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Ah, that would be self-loathing toward your own kind, wouldn’t it?”
“Shut it, Count Python.”
“I understand. When you’re surrounded by exceptional people, it’s only natural to feel intimidated. No matter how much you’ve achieved, you can’t help but judge yourself harshly. Isn’t that right?”
“Zip it.”
“I’ll do just that.”
Count Python made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut. Every little thing he did made me want to punch him.
“Johan Damus.”
“Yeah?”
It was while I was briefly locked in this subtle battle of nerves with Count Python.
After openly expressing her disgust and tearing into Count Python, the Oracle switched positions with me and decided to observe the future for a moment.
Rather than wandering around aimlessly, she figured it would be better to narrow down the search area even a little.
Every time she looked into the future, she complained of intense fatigue, but right now, time was of the essence.
She hadn’t even stopped moving and searching while talking with Count Python.
“I’ve found something. Or more precisely, I’ve found a space that I cannot observe.”
“A space you can’t observe…?”
The Oracle’s foresight isn’t bound by space or time.
She can examine any place or moment she wants, which is how she’s been narrowing down the search.
There were only two cases where she had firmly stated she couldn’t see something.
“Does that mean it’s like what happened with Kult or Tillis?”
“No, it’s a bit different. When those two succeeded, the future itself couldn’t be observed at all. But this time, the unseen area is limited to a specific location.”
“What if you look further out?”
“Well… at least until the world ends, it doesn’t seem to change.”
Until the world ends.
That probably refers to the moment when the Great Sage brings everyone to their knees and achieves his goal.
A future where the cycle of reincarnation is broken and the very concept of death is erased.
Just like with Kult and Tillis, that likely means such a future can’t be observed at all.
However, even up to that point, she still couldn’t determine the purpose of the space she had found.
There was no way I could ignore that.
“Shall we check it out? I’m curious what he’s hiding. I know your goal lies elsewhere, but you’re not just going to pretend you didn’t notice, are you?”
“I was planning to… but the way you put it is making me reconsider.”
I was going to check it out anyway.
There wouldn’t be another opportunity like this while the Great Sage was away.
But with him constantly prodding me from the side, it stirred up a sense of irritation.
“Think rationally.”
“Alright.”
Smack!
I struck Count Python.
“Let’s go.”
“…Why did I just get hit?”
“That was a measure to help me think rationally.”
Still, hitting him did make me feel a bit better.
***
Unsurprisingly, the path to the space the Oracle had observed was treacherous.
There was no way such an important place would be left unguarded.
There were no blind spots in the security, and deceiving their eyes was impossible.
If we made a move, we’d be detected without fail.
“What should we do?”
The Oracle asked with her body trembling.
After repeatedly observing the future in an attempt to find a way through safely, she had grown visibly gaunt.
The problem was that even after going that far, she still couldn’t find a future where we wouldn’t be detected. That was due to the limitations of both Count Python and myself.
“Hmm.”
My death is the greatest variable.
If Faust continues to believe I’m dead, it’ll be much easier to catch him off guard.
Is it really worth revealing that fact just to uncover the nature of the space he’s hidden?
My original goal was to meet Ollie and persuade her, wasn’t it?
“If we’re discovered, how long will it take before the Great Sage returns?”
“So you’re planning to break through.”
“If possible.”
It’s not that avoiding detection is possible. It’s just impossible. Breaking through, on the other hand, is doable. Having awakened even [Thought Split], I’ve grown considerably stronger.
Unlike before, where my growth was slow but steady, this time it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’ve achieved a dramatic leap in power.
So I’m confident I can carve a path through.
Of course, considering it’s an important location, I’m also factoring in that the enemy would hesitate to use large-scale attacks.
“Judging by the purpose of this place, Ollie probably isn’t here.”
At first, I thought it might be some kind of headquarters, but based on what we’ve seen so far, this place is more likely a prison and at the same time, a top-secret facility only accessible to high-ranking members of the Under Chain.
Even the guards patrolling around were mostly high-level undead under the control of dark mages.
A place that only a few people should even know about.
That alone proves how important it is.
“Five minutes is the limit.”
“Five minutes…”
Within that time, we’d have to break through the forces guarding the facility, reach the hidden space, and figure out what it is?
It’s crazy.
Completely reckless.
“That’s enough.”
That is, if I didn’t have my ability.
Five minutes isn’t short. Even if most of that time is spent fighting our way through enemies, it doesn’t matter.
Once I reach it and see it with my own eyes, the rest is simple.
I’m someone who remembered a fleeting moment I saw at the age of five for over ten years.
The advantage of [Thought Split] isn’t just that it allows me to do multiple things at once. It also lets me record the very scenes I need to analyze.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll guide you from here.”
“Yeah. Since we’re short on time, let’s go all out this time.”
By “all out” I don’t just mean relying on my own physical strength.
I mean using every possible method and means at our disposal.
“You understand, right? Mephi.”
“So you’re finally calling on me?”
Mephi may look insignificant and incompetent, but she’s still skilled enough to take down one of the Gears.
Honestly, bringing her in makes me uneasy, but at this point, even the variables she introduces are worth using.
“Count Python, just stay tucked away somewhere and follow quietly.”
I made it clear one last time that I wouldn’t be able to protect him.
Count Python nodded, then immediately hunched his body and slipped into the shadows.
He hid himself with remarkable confidence. You’d think he’d at least ask if there was anything he could do to help, but there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.
“Johan Damus, now!”
“Got it.”
At the Oracle’s signal, I drew the cursed sword and charged forward.
***
I killed roughly twenty of them.
Subduing them wasn’t an option. Expecting that would be greedy.
The enemies were high-ranking dark mages wielding chains as deadly weapons, along with high-level undead that drained life just by making contact.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more stubborn they became. And if we took too long, Faust would return and cut off our escape.
“Are you alright?”
“Move more instead of talking.”
This fight was different from the ones before.
Every time I killed someone, the sensation transmitted through the sword made my skin crawl.
Yes, I killed people. It’s not like that’s anything new at this point, but still…
This time, I had to make sure to finish off even those I didn’t necessarily need to kill.
If I wanted to leave no variables behind, I had no other choice.
Even if they surrendered.
Even if they begged for their lives.
This time, I had to shut my ears.
“Johan Damus.”
“……”
“Their pleas for mercy weren’t sincere. You know that, don’t you? The madmen of the Under Chain do not fear death. They only said those things to shake you. Keep that in mind.”
“I know.”
The Oracle pressed me, her expression unusually troubled.
Everything she said was something I already knew without being told.
Did she really think I didn’t know?
How could I not realize those words were meant to shake me?
I knew. I knew all of it. There was no need for her to spell it out again.
“Johan Damus……”
“That’s enough. We don’t have time. Let’s check it quickly. We don’t know when the Great Sage will return.”
“……Understood.”
There will be many more situations like this going forward.
I can’t afford to be swept away by clinging emotions and agonize over it every time.
Imun is dead. Raven is dead. Countless others, known and unknown to me, have also died.
I can’t become numb, but the time has come for me to get used to it.
Suppressing those dark emotions, I opened the door.
The hidden space concealed by the Great Sage Faust.
I took in the vast expanse before me.
“This is……”
I heard the Oracle’s voice.
It was a trembling voice, as if overwhelmed.
“Incredible. Even someone like me, who knows nothing about magic, can tell that much.”
Count Python who had followed behind us recoiled as if a chill had run down his spine.
In the room we entered, a huge magic circle was drawn.
No, saying it was “drawn” might not be quite accurate.
From the center, mana and sinister energy extended outward, irregularly tracing and erasing lines in the air.
The threads of lines, tangled like skeins of yarn, looked like a magic circle in themselves, and even the traces left behind where those lines had passed seemed like part of one.
But they were erased and wavered unpredictably. Just by looking at it, there was no way to tell what it was meant to do.
Faust must have thought the same, which was why he had left this space as it was. He had stationed guards, but likely believed that even if it were discovered, it wouldn’t pose a serious problem.
“I don’t know what it is, but it feels unsettling. It might be better to just destroy it……”
“No.”
I stopped the Oracle as she pulled a card from her sleeve.
“Destruction isn’t possible.”
“You……”
“It would be even more dangerous to try. You can feel the amount of power in this thing. If it were to explode, you already know what would happen.”
“……I admit it. I was being hasty.”
“It’s understandable.”
An immense, tightly condensed power, along with mana and sinister energy continuously spilling out.
It seemed to have been created through Faust’s awakened ability.
Through his power of circulation, it was constantly rotating and condensing.
The sheer magnitude of magic was so absurd it could be perceived with the naked eye.
Perhaps the reason Faust hadn’t relied heavily on magic or dark magic was because of this.
If the chains were merely meant to fill the gaps in his power……
Just how long had he invested in this spell?
“Johan!”
At that moment, the Oracle called my name with an urgent expression.
“Yeah… looks like he’s back.”
Even at her urgent voice, I was able to respond calmly.
I quietly turned my body.
The Oracle was reaching out toward me, breaking through the space itself.
Tap. Tap.
I lightly tapped the ground a couple of times with my knuckles before turning away.
“Let’s head back for now.”
It wouldn’t be good to run into Faust here. This wasn’t the right time.
But……
“I’ve taken some measures.”
“……What?”
Within the collapsing space,
Just as the scene before my eyes began to blur, I murmured those words, and the Oracle flinched before staring at me in surprise.
“What do you mean, measures?”
“We got lucky.”
“No, but……”
I understood at once what kind of magic Faust had set up.
I didn’t even need to use [Thought Split].
Just by looking at it, I was able to realize one thing.
The magic Faust had been preparing.
“This time, we can only say we were lucky. That’s all.”
Because it bore a resemblance to the magic Alice had left behind.
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